Rotary engine.



0. A. BBNDER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20, 190B.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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G. A. BENDER.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY zo, 1908.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

CHARLES ANDREW BENDER, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specification o! Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

.appmaon man my so, 190s. sum No. 444,842.

To all whom 'it may concern.:-

Be it known that I, CHARLES 'ANDREW BENDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Harrisburg, in thecounty of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Rotary Engine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rotary engines, and has for its principal object to provide a rotary motor in which friction is reduced to :the minimum, and the steam utilized to the best advantage, the live steam bein employed for direct action durin a portion of the stroke and afterwards use expansively.

A further object of the invention is to provide a motor of this type having a comblned roller valve and abutment tha-t is held tightly against the periphery of the piston under steam pressure.

A still v:tuanther object of the invention is to provide a combined roller valve and abutment in which said valve and abutment may be practically balanced, provision being made for the admission of steam behind the Val-ve to counter-act the pressure to which it is exposed in .the Working space of the cylinder.

- vanta es of the invention.

In t e accompanying drawings z-Figure 1 is a vertical section of a rotary engine conf structed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a partial transverse section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fif. 4l is a detail section showino' one of the roller valves and abutments in a dilferent position. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of one of the valve chambers showing the location of the ports.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The engine is mounted on a suitable sole plate and standard 10, and the single piece cylinder casting 11 is bored out to form a cylinder 12, and a vpair of valve or abutment spaces 13 which intersect the cylinder. At the Itop of the cylinder casting are connections for a steam pipe 14, and an'exhaust pipe 15, which lead to ports hereinafter described. To the opposite `sides of the central portion of the castin 11 are secured bearings 16 for the reception of a horizontal shaft 18 havin at one end a balance wheel 19 and at t e opposite end a gear wheel 20. On the center of the shaft is secured the hub of a cylindrical piston drum 21, the Webl which connects with the hub being preferably spoked and the central portions of the side Walls of the mai-n casting being, also, spoked or provided with openings in order to permit free circulation of air through the central portion of the engine for cooling urposes.

The peri ery of the piston drum tits over a pair o inwardly extending annular flanges 23 vthat form part of the main casting, and the peripheries of these flanges are provided with annular grooves for the reception of packing rings 24, which spring outward into engagement with the inner surface of the rim of the iston and rotate therewith, these rings serving to prevent the escape of steam from the Workinof space of the cylinder. The opposite Iends of the valve chambers or chests 13 are closed by removable heads 2T and 28, both of which are provided with stuiiing boxes arranged for the passage of shafts 29 and the head 27 having a bearing bracket 30 forming an additional support for the shaft. Each shaft 29 carries a cylindrical valve 31 vwhich also acts as an abutment, and the valve is somewhat longer than the Width of the piston rim, as shown in Fig. 2, and is of a diameter equal to one-half the diameter of the piston drum, so that for each rotation of the latter each of the valves Will be rotated twice. At the end of each shaft 29 is a pinion 33, both pinions -intermeshing with the central. gear 20, and the pitch lines of the pinions being of thc same diameter as the valves, while thc pitch line of the gear is of the same diameter as the drum in order that these parts may be kept in proper relative position Without sliding friction.

The piston is provided with a air of diametrically o osed Wjings 34.-, so s raped as to accurately fldllow the curved inner Wall of the cylinder, and the cylindrical valves `are provided with curved ports 35 of such size and shape as to permit the passage of the piston wings, the ports serving, also, to control the inlet of the steam or other actuating fluid.y

It will be noted on reference toFig. 2 that the length of the piston wings and the ports 35 is less than the width of the piston rim, so that during the time the wings are passing the ports, the periphery of the cylindrical valve proper may rest in rolling contact with the rim. The main steam port 40 branches at 41 and leads to both valve chambers 13.

At the valve chambers the ports are extendedv cure the desired area, so that the steam may act eectively in forcing the cylindrical valves against the periphery of the piston.

drum, and 1n a measure counterbalance the pressure exerted against that portion of the periphery of the valve exposed -to pressure in the working space of the cylinder. In addition to the inlet ports, a pair of auxiliary ports is arranged around each of the valve chambers. Each of these ports 46, as shown in Fig. 3, extends around the upper portion of the chamber` from the vertical plane of the axis of shaft 29 down to a point below and some distance outside of the vertical plane of such axis, and there communicates with a port 47 leading into the Working space of the cylinder. The function of these ports'is twofold. They permit steam to enter from the Working space of the cylinder and from the main port 43 by Way of the valve port 35, and the pressure of this steam is utillzed in counter-acting the pressure exerted on the exposed faces of the valve, and es ecially the pressure to Which that portion o the valve acting as a stationary abutment is'exposed.A These ports, also, act in connection with the ports c35 of the valve to permit the passage of steam from the inlet to the Working space of the cylinder. Leading from the working space of the cylinder on one side of each abutment is an exhaust port 50 that communicates with the main exhaust 15, and this port is at all times open to the outer air, condenser, or other point of discharge.

In operation, the parts being in the position shown in Fig. 1, the piston Wings are passing the combined valves and abutments and no steam is entering from the inlet ports to the cylinder. By the time the piston and valve reach the position shown 1n Fig. 4, steam is allowed to pass from the port 43 through the valve port 35, into the working ecm-ia off when the point a: of the valve'port passes l the point y of the pocket 45 in Fig. 3, for the reason that up to this time the port 43 and pocket 45 which are in direct communication with the inlet are placedin communication With the auxiliary ports 46 and 47.

through the valve port 35. During theremaining portion of the stroke, the steam Will act expansively.

It will be seen that the combined valves and abut-ments are counter-balanced to such an extent that sliding friction is almost Wholly eliminated, and the combined valve and abutment at each side is pressed firmly against the rim of the piston drum Where rolling friction only is encountered, so that the engine may be rotated at very high speed Without undue heating.

What is claimed is 1. In a rotary engine, a ported cylinder, a piston arranged therein and provided `with a projecting Wing, a cylindrical abutment arranged to roll on the surface of the piston and provided with a port for the passage of the Wing, the length of the port being less than the Width of the piston, said port serving as a means for controlling the flow of steam into the cylinder.

2. In a rotary engine, a ported cylinder, a revoluble piston drum mounted therein and provided With a projecting Wing, a revoluble abutment mounted for rolling'contact with the piston drum and provided with a steam port of a length less than the Width of the piston, the port serving lfor the passage of the piston wing, and controlling also the inlet of steam or other actuating fluid to the cylinder, and gearing connections between the piston drum and the abutment.

3. In a rotary engine, a ported cylinder, a revoluble piston mounted therein and provided with a .projecting Wing, a revoluble abutment ported for the passage ofthe Wing, said port being arranged to place the cylinder ports in communication with the Working space of the cylinder, the wall of the receiving chamber of the-abutment being provided with recesses in the rear of said abutment for the admission of a portion of the actuating uid to thereby counter-balance formed in the inner wall of the abutment chamber for counter-balancing purposes, said auxiliary recess being in free communication with the Working space of the piston chamber and being placed in communication with the cylinder port by the port of the abutment.

5. In a rotary engine, a cylinder' provided with inlet and discharge ports and having a central piston receiving chamber and abutment receiving chambers that intersect the piston receiving chamber, a revoluble piston drum having a pair of diametrically opposed projecting Wings, a pair of cylindrical abutments each provided With a steam port of a length less than the Width of the piston drum, 'the ports serving in connection With the cylinder ports to control the flow of steam or other actuating fluid into the cylinder of the engine, shafts carrying the piston and the abutments, and extending out throughv the Wall of the casing, and gears connecting the three shafts.

G. In a rotary engine, a cylinder having movable head members, the central portions of which are provided with inwardly extending annular flanges, said flanges having peripheral grooves, a shaft, a piston drum secured to the shaft, the rim of the drum eX- tending in opposite directions over the tWo annular flanges, packing rings mounted in the grooves and held expansively against the inner surfaces of the piston drum flanges, and abutnients cojacting with the piston wing in the operation of the engine.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature inthe presence of' two Witnesses.

CHARLES ANDREW BENDER.

Witnesses SARA L. SWENGEL, A. WV. SWENGEL. 

